


Chivalry is Dead

by MaskedMildew



Series: Self-Indulgent Monster Fics [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Animated knight, Ghosts, Human/Monster Romance, Knights - Freeform, Monsters, Other, Spirits, Teratophilia, phantom armor, phantom armour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 09:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15093824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaskedMildew/pseuds/MaskedMildew
Summary: But that doesn't mean it doesn't still exist, right?You have a peculiar run-in with an even more peculiar entity.





	Chivalry is Dead

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted @monsterato.tumblr.com

You’d met the first one when you decided to visit the ruins of the castle just before dusk. You had wanted to take a few pictures before your trip ended, and you had to go home. 

With one quick shot taken in an archway, which you assumed had connected two rooms when the building had still been in it’s prime. It struck you just how old the place you were standing-in was, which managed to fill you with a sudden renewed interest to explore. 

You told yourself it was only to find another, more dramatic and interesting place to take a photo, so you had no qualms. Besides, even if the sun did set before you got out, the city wasn’t too far-off. 

A peculiar hole in the ground, already swallowed in flora that had grown there over the years, housed some old stairs. They were stone, and obviously had seen much wear. Some of the markings seemed ancient, and others seemed more recent-- like graffiti or wrappers littering the place, though thankfully few and far between. 

Once you reached the bottom of the steps, you peered into the claustrophobic space, breathing-out the overwhelming smell of dust. Inspecting the walls of the room, and the floor under them, you noticed peculiar markings. Big, slightly-abnormal hand prints and chunks of fresh dirt. This struck you as odd, as you were sure that no one had visited these ruins in at least a few days.

You were slightly on-edge, now, but decided to disregard your uncertainty. Light was still filtering-in the dirty underground room, so you reasoned with yourself that you would be fine so long as you got out before dark. 

However, dug-out room lead to another. And another. Some of the rooms and the short hallways and small stairwells seemed to be more sturdily-built, with actual stone lining them. You’d lost track of the time, following the one-lane maze, thinking that you hadn’t gone in that deep. Soon, the sky outside turned from orange to purple, and then to blue. You were none the wiser.

Deeper in the tunnels, you began to realize that those strange, fresh prints had been appearing throughout all of the halls. And-- come to think of it-- some of the stones that strengthened the dug-out areas seemed to be planted in the soil recently.

Suddenly aware of your nervousness again, you turn to leave. Your footsteps are quicker than usual, but you’ve  _also_ become aware of how much time you’d spent in the underground area, and you’re keen on leaving. 

Finally, the tunnels end and you’re back in the underground room you started in. You felt your heartbeat quicken when you saw the dark blue sky. You muttered a curse under your breath, beginning to rush for the shoddy steps that had piqued your interest in the first place. You just wanted to be outside, and get home, and breathe something other than dirt--

Hup!

In your rushing, you completely misjudged how low the first step of the stairs was. You started barreling forwards, gasping in the split second you took to realize you were falling. You shut your eyes, and quickly tried to hold-out your arms to protect yourself, despite one hand still clutching your phone.

...

You gasped again, once you realized you’d never hit the ground. But, instead, something had looped around your waist to keep you from falling. You were petrified to look, beginning to shakily turn your head before whatever it was that was holding you carefully pulled you upright onto your feet and let go.

Once your head had turned enough, you believed you felt your heart stop. Your body froze completely, like you were a deer caught in the headlights.

Behind you was a tall, rusty suit of armour. 

Letting that sink-in, you nearly collapsed. In fact, you were sure you began to fall-forwards again, because the armour stepped forwards suddenly, a hand reaching forwards as if to help steady you, before you managed to do so yourself.

It didn’t seem to want to hurt you, at least. You tried repeating this to yourself, but your eyes would not shut and your body would not move. You didn’t even seem to be breathing.

Getting a closer look at it, it didn’t look like anything was inside of the armour. Your mind was racing, and the strange being who’d kept you from falling watched idly, at attention and seemingly keeping it’s distance.

After a long moment, it spoke:

“Did--” It hadn’t used it’s voice in a while, you guessed. It was rough, but you could make-out an accent. You weren’t sure if this thing could speak English well. “--I have fright-frightened you?” it repeat the word as if testing it out. “Thou-- thou-- you,” You began to relax, though still immensely confused. You turned to face the suit, understanding that it was trying to communicate with you. Perhaps it was just natural personification you’d applied to it-- but it almost seemed nervous, and growing more frustrated with each lapse of a word that it tried to say.

“Weary-- du-- I am a Knight-- a Knight, but I have watched...” The armour’s resolve seemed to crumble, as it suddenly began falling back to the floor with an exclaimed ‘ _ **oh!**_ ’. The movement made you jump, but you quickly regained your composure once you saw that it was sitting on it’s rump, one dusty hand pressed to it’s helmet. 

Looking at it’s hand now, you assumed this was what had been leaving those prints. 

“Apologies,” It’s voice was suddenly laboured, but it was speaking more slowly and clearly, “I... hath-- no,  _have_... not spoken... erm,” You still stared, even as the Knight shifted it’s supposed gaze to look-up at you from the ground. “My apologies. The years have passed me by, I have forgotten who I was, and how to speak... how to speak to... other humans.” The word ‘ _humans_ ’ was spoken almost broken-heartedly, as if the Knight had just realized he was most certainly not one. 

“I’ve scared you, have I not?” With each word, the armour was getting more comfortable with speaking. Surprised with yourself, you found that it’s accent was... rather endearing. Cute, even. The rough, gravelly sound was making way for something more smooth. “I apologize, many times. Please, do not fear me. I have watched for centuries, you ever-changing humans. I have watched and have known the living would fear me should they know I lived, too. I willed that you would leave before long...”

Slowly, so as to not startle you further, you assumed, the Knight pushed himself up, and back to his feet. He was standing in a much more relaxed manner, though still as stiff as you would expect a suit of armour to be. 

“But then you fell. I do not wish any ill upon you. Please, feel free to leave here, but tell none of me,” quickly, making the rust on it look out-of-place, the phantom dropped to it’s knee and bowed it’s head, “They will surely take me apart.”

It’s pleas were disheartening. Part of you reasoned that you should leave now, while you could, but your body remained right as it was. After only a beat of silence, you slowly reached down to take the forlorn Knight’s hand. The filth and dirt sent a shiver up your spine, but you could wipe it off in a moment. 

At the contact, the armour’s supposed gaze lifted towards you.

You told it you wouldn’t tell anyone this secret, and that it’s speaking was very good.

With a lingering gaze, the Knight slowly rose to both of it’s feet, once more. It’s hand still clutched yours, and the other came to rest atop yours only a second later.

You had to look up to maintain ‘eye’-contact, whoever had worn the armour in a past life must have been very tall. 

You nearly tugged-away, as you felt a disturbingly-lifelike pair of hands give your one a small squeeze. It was one thing to hold the Knight’s glove and to see phantom armour in person, but it was something else to touch it. It felt like a human truly was underneath that steel shell.

“... Thank you.” It’s voice was wistful, and you found you couldn’t tear your gaze away from the slots in it’s helmet. You were suddenly enraptured, while still a little off-put by everything you were experiencing. 

The Knight may have had no shining armour, but it certainly had struck something inside of you.

FInally gently letting go of your hand, the knight stepped back. “You should leave.” It advised, and you brushed your hand off on your bottoms, still transfixed by the being before you.

You gathered your courage once more and asked it why it was building tunnels, and staying down in the ruins of the castle if it could move and talk.

Your heart fluttered as a muffled, though hearty laugh rang from inside of the metal. The way it sounded, as if vibrating off of the walls of steel it was surrounded by, was mesmerizing. 

“This is my home. The world-- it has passed me by. I belong no where but here anymore. But, a life where you do nothing... that’s really no life at all, is it? So I build. At night, when the humans are too wary to be around, I build. In the morning, I watch them in the city, or listen to them when they tour...” 

The sky outside was growing ever-darker. Parts of the underground room were pitch-black, and the limited light from the moon could barely illuminate any of the dull armour before you. Even in the dark, you could tell when the Knight began to move forwards.

Probably because of the soft creaking of the suit’s joints.

You could just make-out a bent arm being offered towards you, and mindlessly you took it up in your own. Soon, the armour was leading you back to the steps, and then to the grass outside. The air was so fresh, you sniffed deeply. The knight stared onward, unmoving. You couldn’t help but feel that, maybe, it was saddened by it’s lack of being able to breathe-in that same fresh air.

You let that thought rest. 

Your eyes trailed down, and you realized your arm was still intertwined with the Knight’s. As if realizing you’d noticed, it’s arm slipped-away, back to it’s side.

“I--” it was about to say something, but apparently thought better of it. It began walking forwards, head moving as if it were searching the fields around the ruins. “How do you expect to return to your abode? Dost-- ahem,” It was almost humorous to hear this phantom armour clear it’s throat, “Do you have an automobile? That is what they are called?” 

You nodded, and explained that your car had been parked just a short ways away. With a nod, the knight stepped forwards. “’Tis dark, and unsafe even when the winds are silent. I shall escort you, perchance, to your ‘car’.” 

The word was strange, in it’s voice, but you were too wordlessly charmed that you simply nodded and stepped-forward alongside the phantom, causing it to begin walking, with you barely a step behind.

You’d noticed that, before you two began moving, the Knight’s helmet and arm shifted in your direction before disregarding whatever it had planned to do. Your confusion from earlier-on had made it’s return, though in the form of inner turmoil. 

You didn’t understand why, believing this old phantom Knight wanted to hold your arm as it escorted you back to your car, made you feel a blooming sense of excitement, or managed to tinge your ears with heat.

You were just tired, that was all.

You two walked in silence until the car had drawn close. The silence was perfect, not awkward nor stuffy. You were both simply experiencing the moment.

You half expected the Knight to rush to the driver’s side of the car, to open the door for you, before you realized that such an expectation was foolish. It has probably never even been near a car, before.

Instead, it stood rigidly at attention when you left it’s side. You walked to the driver’s door, when you realized...

You were leaving for home, soon. And  _that_ was no where near this place. 

You were surprised by the dropping feeling in your gut. The small moment of panic. Your brows drew-together and you frowned deeply, somehow managing to shed a tear. The Knight could tell something was off, when you stopped so suddenly. It never said a word, though. 

You opened your car door, and placed a foot in to duck inside. Before you could do so, you heard, quietly: “I hope our paths cross again.”

With only a quiet nod, attempting to suppress your frustration with the situation, you got into the car, start it, and began to drive off. You glanced back through the rear-view mirror thrice. It took the Knight until you were nearly out-of sight for it to walk back to the ruins.

But what you hadn’t realized, is that you’d left your phone behind.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably work on more short things with phantom knights on my Tumblr, but all long things get posted here and there. I'll probably compile the short stuff into one fic if I write enough. I hope you've enjoyed!


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